Daily Republican., 1887-05-16
A NEW DANGER.
EDWARD A. BOYDEN.

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In the good old days, when the con
venient t'undle bed formed part of tn
paraphernalia OF every we'll reRulats,
Isnily which boosted of small sclons
and which adorned our grand father
s'eepiDg-room-in their halcyon day,
our unsnspscl ing ancestors neve
orr amed OF the terrible silent devas
.suon that wac going on there duripr
the night.
When they gave the good might kia,
snd the parting tuck to the bed covers
snd aazed fondly at the littlo oherub,
nuadied together In one cosy bed, they
nt''e thouahS OF the danger lurking
among those embryo men and women
~ remalued for deep delving, busy
ooay' nosfng science TO let out the avful
mystery, and to bring terror to the
ious parents.
An electrical cyclone has burst over
pater and mater fsmiliee, aud the
double bed is reltg gated, by the edio, nj
science-if not pra ,tically abandone1-
to the lost arts
Science gravely Informs us that elec-
tricsl disturbances In the human bod y
! are at wor during the night This n
not, per So. very alarming u formation !.
but the climax of terror is reached whep
VIC are told that by this dual OCCUPANCY
OF one bed, one Of the sleeoers derives
osneht and the other injury, from this
nocturnal partnership. Or, in techni
cal terms CT scieocs. one liz aot To no an
"eltminator" and the other an "ab.
sorber." One parts witt, bis e,ec.ricitv
and the other receives 1t.
However tliY m av ha ~ mill .nx-f-
long tirne to bring about a thorouob
REFORM In the matter OF old habits. AMI
we doub. II tho custom of slice ming don.
pie will fall into Gesuetude airing onr
day and generation. Peoc,e ara rs.her
prono to follow the old paths, espeuiaJlv
II they no p.es*aat onts; ard thew viii
PROBABLY t'ke the chances Of Calming mr.
losing little e ectricity in this way.
fat. after oil, there rre go MANY worse
Things occurring oil the time in our
midst, tina. We ought to bs somewhat
tolerant of this mild electrical busiuees
The solitary cslibsto wretch who blows
out the gss and goes to bed, does a
worse thing than TO slssp double, If
ns had Int IiQeu. companionship the
chances are that his tritiin1 error would
have bean prevented, and that any
magnetic discomforts arising from the
dual occupancy of thu bed would be
more than compensated by the absence
OF the deadly carbon gas.
The fiat Of ecie nee against the double
bed Is rather serious matter. 1t ia a
blow ct long cherished custom handed
down to US By tradition through a LONG
line OF successive generations. 1t
makes war upon the human race from
the cradle to tho grave 1t il shaft
lovelled at the veteran pair who would
De lonely In single harness.
There ought to bs a feasible compro
mise Within reach; and 1t Is the duty of
SCIENCE, that has souaGed these notes
OF alarm, to bling forward either q sub
stitute that will prove acceptable to the
maj nifty, or else to furnish an antidote
for its evils.
This plan OF separation Ia impracti.
cable. Ii implies helpless isolation,
cold 'eet, and pa.hstic desJlati,u. We
neg leave to assure acisncs that it will
not WORK. Nature rstels at 1t, as nature
abhors vacuum or other phenomena.
Take, for irstarcs, the case OF "A lars
family OF children. L7ok, In inaeins.
ton, at their bed chambers, with their
long rows OF single beds. They would
remind us OF the wards IL O hospital.
and 1t would reqnits only the presence
CT the surgeon and clinical lec:are to
complet6 the illusion
We venture ID predict that this edict
OF science will meet with open rebel.
lion, especially on the part OF long
established conjugal partnerships, whoss
nervous centres would probably be more
than tranquilizsd by this new
departure from old customs; and they
will still hug themselves with the dc.
lusion-if densiou 1t De-.hat 1t is more
deltc.able. and even parliamentary, to
pair of in the old time fashion. than to
play tho role Of celi5ate, ami fiee fro IN
the phanthemsgoria that so,snce pic.
lures in the latent forces @; nervou,